Celebrating Kinship Care Week 2026

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We are proud to stand alongside Kinship to shine a light on the vital role of kinship carers – relatives and friends who step up to raise a child when their birth parents are unable to. Kinship carers play a crucial role giving children, most of whom would otherwise be in the care system, safety, stability and belonging. 

Across England and Wales, more than 141,000 children are being raised in kinship care, growing up in loving and stable homes that keep them connected to their families, roots and community.

There were a number of events across the country to mark the week. The Big Brothers Big Sisters team were delighted to join the West Sussex Kinship Care team and a few of the 500 kinship carers across West Sussex at their annual Kinship Conference in Worthing.

The CEO & Founder of Capa First Response and the Serious Youth Violence Exploitation & Missing Team at WSCC filled the day with inspirational and eye-opening talks. There was lots of practical advice on how to deal with child to parent aggression/harm and keeping young people safe online and in the community, spotting the warning signs when a child is being exploitated and how to get help.

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Our West Sussex mentoring programme is dedicated to supporting families across the county, matching children that are living in kinship foster care to a caring adult mentor who can be there for them and act as a role model outside of their family unit. Often, the mentors also become close to the kinship carers, providing a consistent source of comfort to those that may feel isolated and overwhelmed by the responsibilities and practicalities of caring for a young person.

This Kinship Care week we want the experiences of kinship families to be seen, heard, and better understood. 

Explore our website to find out more about the mentoring role and how you can join our campaign to make a real difference to the lives of Kinship children and their families that are living in West Sussex.